how does your garter grow?

August 30, 2010

“Inspired by the richly textured rock and low-water gardens of the American southwest, Xeriscape is a shaped, scalloped scarf knit in a drapey and luxurious hand-dyed yarn. Worked in garter stitch, Xeriscape looks great in solid, semi-solid, and variegated yarns. The long, narrow shape makes it easy to wrap, tie, and wear in a variety of ways.

Xeriscape is perfect for beginners who are ready to work on shaping through increases and decreases, and still has the thoughtful details needed to make it a breezy, meditative knit for more experienced knitters.”

let me tell you,
i
was
STOKED!

there was something about the design i loved immediately.
and i knew i needed to have it when the pattern came out.
but to be able to test knit it? to be one of the first people to ever knit it?
that was special.

since this was going to be my first time test knitting a pattern, (officially)
i vowed to be swift and thorough.

but it wasn’t easy.

first, i had a week deadline.
mary-heather said i could take longer if i needed,
but the pattern was getting published in a week.
being bred from overachieving stock,
everything else got pushed aside.

but when it came time to cast on,
i could not for the life of me find a yarn i liked.
there was just nothing i had on hand that would work,
at least not the way i wanted it to.

and i needed the yarn now.

so i began knitting one in a yarn i thought might work,
but it just didn’t.
i hated my yarn choice
and it killed the design.
the end result was completely unworthy of the blog,
and it’s has been properly shamed and put away.

then, out of the west,
ms. tina newton,
dyer,
teacher,
queen.

saved.

my.

bacon.

which is ironic i think since she’s a vegetarian.

she had paula tackle the postman,
threaten him with a size q crochet hook,
and sent me this little lovely in record time*
it’s the lovely new yarn marine silk sport in the “spruced” colorway.
(isn’t it crazy how differently silk takes color?)
i wish you could see the beautiful iridescence
the subtle navy hidden beneath the calm green.
it’s beautifully soft and made knitting garter stitch worth it.

it is simply divine.

in fact,
take a few minutes to stop reading,
and order a sweater lot.

go ahead.

i’ll wait.

back?

ok.

then, as my friend michael would say,
the flames were coming off my fingers as i finished the real xeriscape,
the one i could be proud of,
the one worthy of the blog.
isn’t it lovely?

and in honor of the spirit of mary-heather
and her lovely pup charlie,
i had my mo model the xeriscape

it’s very rare for me to knit for myself,
but this one’s all mine bitches!

Is that the yarn you let me fondle on Saturday? If it is, I’m guessing Mo put up a fight when you tried to take the finished object off after the photo shoot. I’d want it wrapped around my neck all the time!